Just like the classic, this Vegan Red Velvet Cake is a gorgeous deep rich red with vanilla and cocoa flavour and a subtle zing from vinegar (this is traditional, trust me on this)! And of course, the cake is frosted with vegan cream cheese frosting for the classic combo. Oh la la! I've been asked to veganize a red velvet cake more times than I can count. With both Valentine's Day and the red carpet event of the Oscars coming up, I thought now was the perfect time to finally share my recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Yeah, my mouth is watering already.
This cake might look and taste all sorts of fancy, but it is actually quite easy to prepare. The cakes come together quickly and needs to be cooled completely before frosting, so I usually make the cake layers the day before I want to serve it.
The frosting takes just a few minutes to whip up and can be made the day before as well and stored in the fridge. Then when ready, just frost and serve!
Just like all of my dessert recipes, this cake tastes just like the traditional version, and no one will be able to tell it's vegan!
Enjoy this cake as a romantic after-dinner dessert, or (my favourite) for a breakfast treat with coffee in the morning.
How To Make Vegan Red Velvet Cake:
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add enough red food dye so that the wet ingredients are a very vibrant red. As for quantity, it will depend on the intensity of the food colouring used. For the gel, I used 1 heaping teaspoon. For a liquid dye, it would likely be closer to 2 tablespoons.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. The colour of the batter will deepen when cooked for the perfect red velvet colour.
Evenly divide batter among the cake pans. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan before removing.
How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and slowly mix in. Increase the speed and whip the frosting until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time, mixing in, until the desired consistency is reached. Depending on the cream cheese used if the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt and mix in.
If you like a lot of frosting you may want to double the amount.
Alternatively, you could make my cream cheese frosting recipe found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan (page 170) which doesn't require any vegan cream cheese!
Store the frosting in the fridge until needed. Make sure the cakes are cooled completely before frosting.
For the Final Touches:
I saved some of the cake crumbs collected when I was levelling the cakes, broke them up, and sprinkled them around the edges of the cake. I think it's the perfect way to decorate this vegan red velvet cake, so cute!
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
Vegan Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
- ⅔ cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- vegan red food dye *see notes
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
- plant-based milk, if needed
- salt, if needed
Instructions
To make vegan red velvet cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add enough red food dye so that the wet ingredients are a very vibrant red *see notes. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. Evenly divide batter among the cake pans. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until ta toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan before removing.
To make vegan cream cheese frosting:
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and slowly mix in. Increase the speed and whip the frosting until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time, mixing in, until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt and mix in. Store the frosting in the fridge until needed. Make sure the cakes are cooled completely before frosting.
Notes
Nutrition
Chuck says
Cake constitency and time cooking: perfect. Cake is moist and fluffy like a cake should be.
About the color though I had to used about 3 teaspoons of Club House red food coloring and still it was more like a maroon color. Still pretty close to what a red velvet should be.
The real bummer was the cake icing. Way too liquid. I don’t think the butter was necessary at all. Disappointing when it comes to assembling your two cake pieces.
With a perfected icing recipe it would be perfect.
*there’s vanilla in the icing ingredients but no mention to add in the instructions 🙂
Victoria says
My nephew and his wife, both vegans, came for dinner and although I was good with the apps & main course, I was really stuck on a dessert. I made this recipe as cupcakes and, oh my, they were delicious!
I used paper baking cups and filled each with a little over 1/2 cup of batter, took 30 minutes total to bake. Made 12 cupcakes.
The frosting was sooo good! It was a warm day, my kitchen was about 75F, and I needed about 1 cup additional of powdered sugar (and a pinch of salt). It still was a very soft frosting. Since I was planing to pipe it thru a pastry bag, I chilled the frosting for 30 minutes, filled the bag, chilled the bag for another 15 minutes, added a single layer of frosting, replaced the bag (and the cupcakes) in the fridge for 15 more minutes, then piped the final swirls on top. Needless to say, the cupcakes do needed to be refrigerated until just before serving.
I've been baking for over 50 years, and had HUGE reservations with making cupcakes that contained neither butter nor eggs, and about using a non-dairy cream cheese, but the results were spectacular. Thank you, Sam, for developing this recipe to perfection!
Brienne says
I made a double batch of the frosting and it came out really runny. I even added more sugar and still it was runny. I don't know what I did wrong. My cream cheese had been previously frozen - would that affect the frosting to this degree?
Victoria says
I once tried baking a recipe with dairy cream cheese that had been frozen and it was a disaster, so I am assuming that freezing vegan cream cheese would give similar results.
Nadeiry Astor says
I made this cake with whole wheat flour (I do have to add more plant milk since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than normal flour) and monkfruit (granulated for the cake & powdered for the frosting) and it turns out AMAZING, THE BEST RED VELVET CAKE EVER. It taste exactly the same as Pepperidge Farm Red Velvet Cake (which used to be my favorite cake before going vegan). Even my mom who is not vegan end up loving it! Thank you so much for making this recipe!
Tahira Akhtar says
Can I use half cake flour for a softer cake?
Shan says
I followed the recipe and my cake is brown instead of red I used liquid food colouring; so maybe less cocoa powder next time.
The frosting also turned out more like icing sugar. Unsure as to why, maybe the brand of vegan cream cheese that I used?
Anyway, asides from it looking diabolical it tastes great x
Chrissie says
This happened to me the Second time I made the recipe and I'm convinced it's because I used natural food dye. Did you as well?
Carrie says
What size cake pan did you use? The nine inch ones?
Victoria says
Read step 1.
8" pans.
Mindy says
How long do I bake it if I want to cupcakes?
Olya says
The taste of texture is amazing, but didn't turn out red. I used the exact amounts of cocoa powder (metric) and it engulfed the red color if the wet ingredients.
I also substituted half the sugar amount with erythritol and it gave a lighter sweet taste which I think was great because the frosting was very sweet.
All in all, I loved it, will try to tweek the cocoa amounts to get a red color next time.
Raisa says
Try beetroot powder next time.
Hema says
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Lela says
Thank you for the delicious recipe. Made it for my daughters birthday today and it was a hit. Already saved it for the future. Definitely a keeper!
Wish I could post a pic. Nightmare Before Christmas turned out cute
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Ivona says
Dear Sam!
I am dying to try out this recipe, as I'm sure it's the best.
However, where I am from I cannot get store-bought vegan cream cheese. Could you please advise what to substitute for the recipe to remain good?
Btw I love your recipes and style!
Tahira Akhtar says
Instead of cream cheese you can use buttercream frosting and add a little lemon juice to get the sour flavour you would have gotten from the cream cheese.
Ronak Mehta says
Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do
Alicia says
Hello! I made this cake for my family and it was DELICIOUSSSSSS. Now I’m making one for a friend but I was hope to do 3,
6 in rounds... any suggestions.
Myshelle Long says
This recipe is the best! I've tried so many red velvet cakes and made one myself before i went vegan and nothing tops the one I just made tonight. It is so tasty and moist. I am so thankful I came across your blog! (:
Linda says
Can you use this recipe to make a red velvet BUNDT cake? If so, what would be the temperature and time to bake it?
Colin Wall says
Hi, cakes made and cooling... colour might not be right but it's my first attempt!
Quick question: will the frosting cover top, middle and sides as it seems to appear so in the photo?
Thanks!
Amanda Kasserman says
Hello, if i wanted to pipe rosettes using the icing onto the cake, how would i thicken up the frosting to do that? Would u recommend cornstarch, or something else?
Thanks 🙂